WWU captured the Concordia Invitational team title for the third tournament victory of the season. PHOTO: WWU Athletics

Vikings Cruise to 25-Stroke Victory at Concordia Invitational

October 9, 2018

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PORTLAND, Ore. – The Western Washington University men’s golf team had made it 3-for-3 in tournament victories to open the 2018-19 season, completing the Concordia Invitational with a 25-stroke victory in the 54-hole tournament played at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

The No. 14 nationally-ranked Vikings recorded a 54-hole team score of 8-under-par 844, firing under par in all three rounds of the tournament, continuing a trend of 8 out of 9 rounds at or under par this season. WWU’s closest competitor in the eight-team field was GNAC rival Simon Fraser, who was 25 strokes back at 17-over-par 869.

“It was a solid two days of golf for the guys,” said head coach Luke Bennett. “They are playing with confidence and are feeding off each other. Just very solid, consistent golf from the team.”

Freshman Jordan Lee (Tacoma, WA/Bellarmine Prep) led the tournament from wire-to-wire to win individual medalist honors finishing at 8-under-par 205. Lee shot a 1-over-par 72 in Tuesday’s final round, after turning in rounds of 66 (-5) and 67 (-4) in Mondays first and second round. Lee led the 43-player field with 17 birdies.

“I was so impressed with Jordan’s play this week,” added Bennett. “It’s hard to put into words how solid his game looked. He was extremely poised all tournament and handled any nerves he had very well.”

All five of WWU’s golfers were in the top 15, with senior Michael Butler (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) and junior Ethan Casto (Snohomish, WA) tying for 3rd place at 1-over-par 214.

WWU’s individual scores and the complete team leaderboard from the Concordia Invitational are as follows:

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WWU returns to action at the Dixie State Trailblazer/Holiday Inn Fall Regional Preview next Monday-Tuesday (Oct. 15-16) at The Ledges Golf Club in St. George, Utah. The tournament serves as a preview for the 2019 NCAA II West/South Central Super Regional that will be held May 9-11. WWU is looking to make a 21st consecutive appearance in the NCAA regional championships.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Playing in its only home tournament of the season, the Western Washington University women’s golf team earned team runner-up honors at the 2018 WWU Invitational held Monday and Tuesday at Bellingham Golf & Country Club.

The Vikings finished the 36-hole tournament at 34-over-par 610, eight strokes behind tournament winner Sonoma State University (+26, 610). Concordia was one stroke back of WWU in 3rd place (+35, 619), followed by British Columbia (+41, 625) and Simon Fraser (+47, 631) to round out the top five in the 13-team field.

“Overall, second place is a good finish and I am proud of how they battled in different conditions each day,” said head coach Bo Stephan. “We have had a good start to the season, and I think we are learning a lot with each round we play. We have some time off before we close out the fall schedule, and we’ll work hard to keep improving and making adjustments.”

Sonoma State not only took home the team title, but the Seawolves also featured the individual medalist and runner-up. Megan Daleo recorded a two-round score of 2-over-par 148, edging teammate Sabrina Virtusio (+3, 149) for the tournament title. Concordia’s Cammie Decker, the reigning GNAC Golfer of the Week, carded the low round on Tuesday with a 1-under-par 72 to finish in a tie for 3rd place.

Here is a look at WWU’s scores and the final team standings from the 2018 WWU Invitational.

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The Vikings complete the four-tournament fall season Oct. 29-30 at the Cal State San Marcos Fall Classic at Wood Valley Golf Club in Valley Center, California. In three tournaments so far this season, WWU has a pair of 3rd-place finishes and the runner-up finish at the WWU Invitational.